In My Life
by BarricadeOfFreedom96
Summary: Nessie has been an on-again off-again part of the Cullens since her birth in 1712. When the Cullens journey to Forks, Washington, how will Nessie's life change when she meets the warm, fun Jacob Black? Better summary inside!
1. Prologue

**Hi! This is just a little something that's been floating around in my head. **

**Nessie Cullen has struggled with her thirst for blood since she was born in London, England, in 1712. She's been off the wagon several times and has searched for hundreds of years for others of her kind: vampire hybrids. Being half vampire and half human, Nessie is very solitary and very alone. When her family takes her in again and they venture to Forks, Washington, how will her life change when she meets the handsome, fun, mysterious Jacob Black and his friends? How will the Volturi react when she encounters certain people and uncovers certain secrets? With death threats, discovering others of her kind, and the threat of falling in love, how will Nessie balance it all and her desire for human blood?**

Prologue:

I KNEW WHAT WE WERE doing was wrong. I knew we were in big trouble. But in the moments that we were together, nothing else mattered to either of us. When we were together, we were just two people, sharing everything with the other. He was what I'd been searching for for years, decades, centuries. If I didn't have a good hold on him, he could slip away. And I just couldn't afford that. Not emotionally, mentally, or – somehow – physically. I felt as though I'd physically fall apart if I ever lost him.

With all the surrounding tragedies going on around us, it seemed selfish, foolish of us to continue on like this, blissfully ignoring the world caving in on us. My family, his family, at war. At war with each other. At war with the Volturi. The wars were so silly to both of us that maybe it made sense for us to ignore the feuds. While the people we cared about fought with each other, we stayed happy and whole.

We didn't do any of this on purpose. No one could blame us for anything. I almost wanted them to, so someone could take blame for everything bad happening. Again, that thought of not caring entered my head. We were together. We were happy. That was all that mattered. Well, that's all that _should_ have mattered.


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you for reading! I honestly think I'm a rubbish writer, but what do I know anyway? Review, please! (P. S. Do I have to rate this story 'M' if I might use the occasional 'F' word? I'm sorry, I have a potty mouth ;]) Sorry for anything inappropriate or wild you might read also. I have a dirty mind to go along with that potty mouth of mine. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything :P**

CHAPTER 1: NEW BEGINNINGS

FORKS, WASHINGTON. THE PLACE I was condemned to live in for the next two years of my incredibly long life. If I had enough strength to attack my father, take over the wheel of the car, and turn around and drive to New York, I would. However, while my dad was older than I was, he was stronger. One of the many disadvantages to being half-human was that I would never be as strong as a full vampire.

"Nessie," Edward, my mind-reading father said, "while your confidence in my physical strength is very flattering, you're stuck in this no matter what. I can also promise you that this won't be as terrible as you're imagining it will be."

I rolled my eyes, a habit I'd picked up from him as a child. "Sure, Dad. Whatever you say, Dad. I'm going to absolutely _love _Forks. I might even love it more that I loved Seattle fifty years ago. Seattle was my favorite," I said sarcastically.

"We just got you back, Ness. Please don't leave us again," begged my mother.

I sighed, thinking back to one of my many times on my own. I'd only just returned to my family a week ago. Being on my own for forty years had been thrilling, but they eventually had to stage an intervention. I'd let my thirst control me and killed thousands – hundreds of thousands – of humans. None of them were completely innocent, but they'd still been human nonetheless. I felt guilty for it, and it seemed that the only way I could stay on the wagon was if I was with my family. It was a bummer and a relief. I didn't want to be the monster everyone assumed I was, but being with the same people for multiple centuries could get a little tiresome.

After several more uncomfortable hours of lounging in the back seat of my father's Volvo and listening to my extensive playlist of strictly songs by The Beatles, we finally passed the sign that said _Welcome to the state of Washington_. Looking at a map of Washington, I calculated it would be about another six hours until our arrival to Forks, so I decided to take a nap.

I was woken up by my mother excitedly shaking my knee. I blinked a few times, and my vision became clear. Looking out the car window, I saw one thing: green. I wished I was exaggerating, or at the very least, hallucinating, when I saw that everything outside the window was some shade of green. It didn't really bother me too much – green was my favorite color. But did I want to look at it all the time? Absolutely not.

It took us another ten minutes to drive through town and then find our road. Once we found our new driveway, the horrible truth set in: I was going to have to _live _here. The town itself seemed dry, boring. Dead. Again, I found myself aching for my lively, vivacious life in Manhattan. New York City, New York was the most fantastic place I'd ever lived in. In my five-hundred years, I'd seen and lived in many extravagant, cultured, exciting places but the only one that stood out to me was New York.

The winding driveway was just as boring as the rest of what I'd observed thus far. From what I could guess, it was almost half a mile long. Another thing I hated about just the driveway alone: the trees. I found trees beautiful, especially when they were in bloom in the springtime, but these trees were in the _woods_. If there was one thing I despised more than my weakness for human blood, it was the woods. Or, in more recent terms, my new home.

The house itself wasn't much either. Aside from being enormous, I couldn't quite grasp what made Esme decide she liked it. I was sure, though, that with her brilliance and creativity, she could make it look as incredible and astonishing as our last home had. Our actual houses themselves were some of the only things I actually liked about the places we'd lived in before. I was so thankful for my grandmother's taste in interior and exterior design.

Jasper and Alice had been the first ones to arrive. With the help of Alice's visions of the future, she'd already seen who would like which rooms the most and had put the names of the impending inhabitants of each room on the doors. She was another bright side to the family. Even though she could be a pain and an annoyance a lot of the time, her being psychic saved us a _lot _of time.

I carried my luggage up the stairs and found my room, plopping on the bed and sprawling out on the naked mattress. I didn't care that there were no sheets on it yet. I wanted to wallow in my own misery before putting on a happy face and pretending to enjoy myself for the next two years. The funniest thing about the next two years was that it was only exactly that – just two years. Two years to an immortal was like two minutes to a human. However, the setting of the next two years of my life was what was going to make them drag by so slowly.

"Nessie!" a voice boomed. I knew who it was before they even spoke. I'd been anticipating Emmett's teasing since we got on the road. He'd initially wanted me to drive to Forks in my dad's car and him to drive in his Jeep so that he could race me and potentially rub it in my face if I lost. My uncle really loved me…

"Nessie?" he asked as he burst through my bedroom door. "How the hell did you beat us here? Did you take a plane, you cheater?"

I didn't even sit up or look at him. I did, however, open my eyes and stare at the ceiling. "No, Emmett. I didn't take a plane _and _I told you before we left that I wasn't going to race you. I didn't even drive a little bit."

Emmett groaned. "You were so much more fun a hundred and fifty years ago. You just plain old _suck _now. What's the point of living forever if you're not even living? I get that you had some rough patches, but it's about damn time to move on."

"I didn't ask for your opinion, Emmett," I snapped. "Nor did I ask you to preach at me or insult me. If I wanted advice on how to live my life, I'd ask you for some or I'd see a professional."

"Shit," he muttered. "No need to bitch me out."

"Thank you for stopping by, Emmett," I dismissed.

He left after my last comment, and I was left alone until almost five in the afternoon, when Carlisle asked me if I wanted to go hunting. I declined his offer, but thanked him, too. Being native to England, I'd been taught to uphold English customs and be polite, though I'd lost my accent over the many, many years. Both my grandparents and my parents had lost their accents as well.

At around eight o'clock the next morning, after I woke up from about ten hours of irregular sleep, I'd finally accepted this house and town as my home. I barely knew it and didn't know any people in it, but at least it was a start. I'd been so stuck in my New York state of mind that I hadn't even understood that I didn't live there anymore.

I was contently chatting with my aunt, Rosalie and eating a cup of blueberry yogurt and oats when my father dropped the biggest bomb on my yet. Even bigger than, "_We're moving to Forks, Washington_."

"Nessie, you're starting at Forks High School tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner before… The official first chapter took a long time to produce. I had a lot of testing in school, I technically only have about a month and a half left of sophomore year :D Yay! So here's chapter 2… Read & review! Enjoy! (Also, WARNING: Usage of ONE F-word in the beginning of this chapter… AND I have good news: The chapters will most definitely be getting longer!) * I also just want to make a point that the first five words of each chapter will always be in all caps, so if you feel like the character is YELLING, they're not! ;)**

**I also want to address that yes, Nessie has parted ways with the rest of the Cullens a few times. She did hunt humans during her time away. She sees nothing wrong with drinking human blood and prefers it to anything else. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own shittttt. **

Chapter 2: UNCONTROLLABLE FORCES

"EXCUSE ME. ARE YOU FUCKING joking?"

My father sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly. "No, Nessie. I'm regular joking." (A/N – Ten points to anyone who knows what that exchange is from! If you do, you're probably a Harry Potter/musical theatre fan!)

I slammed my cup of yogurt onto the table, and thankfully, it didn't explode all over me. That would've been unfortunate, but definitely the least of my worries. "Dad," I said calmly. "I don't know where the _hell_ that came from, but I can tell you right here, right now, that I am not, under _any _circumstances, going to _Forks High School_."

"I'm afraid you don't have much of a choice," my dad explained. "You can either go to college, high school, or get a job. Those are your three options. Carlisle started at the hospital today and everyone already knows about his large family of adopted teenagers."

"Motherfu–" I stopped myself from letting the rest of that word come out, remembering how much my father despised my tendency to swear uncontrollably when under pressure or overwrought with emotions. "Why do I _have _to, though? I'd also like to add that I'm incredibly unprepared."

"Alice and Rosalie will be taking you shopping this afternoon. This won't be as awful as you want to make it out to be, Ness. It's all in your head. Believe me, I've been through high school too many times to count. You haven't been to high school in what, forty years? It's so much _easier_ now. You're also a super-genius."

"As I should be, being your daughter," I added. "Listen, I'm all for getting down with the modern teenagers in Forks, but I don't know if I'm ready for that big of a commitment. Two years of nothing but high school is extremely tedious and it's such a long time to do the same thing every single day."

"Alright," he agreed, or so I thought. "So, two years of high school is too big of a commitment, but thirty years of slaughtering humans isn't?"

"Did you seriously just go there?" I snapped, jumping up from my seat.

"Nessie, don't take that the wrong way," Rosalie begged.

"No, Rosalie, I will take that the way it was intended to come across," I countered. I turned my yelling back to my father. "Damn it, Dad, how can you still judge me so much? I've only done that three times! How dare you still judge me? Jasper hadn't tasted anything but human blood for twenty years when we found him!"

"Jasper isn't my child," he stated. "I never wanted that for you, I never wanted you to be weak. I never wanted you to have to revert to that."

"So now I'm weak?" I screamed. "Thanks, it's _great_ to know I have your confidence. You are just so insensitive! Do you know why I like to drink human blood?"

"Why?" my father wondered.

"Because it makes me feel _strong_," I elucidated. "It makes me feel like I fit in somewhere. My entire life, I've neither been a vampire nor a human. It's exceedingly frustrating. It blows my mind how much I feel like the perpetual odd man out! Me drinking human blood is the equivalent of you drinking animal blood. I feel so powerful and whole when I drink it. I don't kill to kill. That'd be like a hunter shooting a deer just to kill it. I leave no trail or evidence behind, either."

"You're scaring me, Nessie," announced my dad, his eyes widened with shock. "And you're scaring your mother."

"Yeah? Well, you'd better get used to it. I'm half of you, which means half of me is vampire and it's in my nature to want what makes me strongest. It's also in my nature to kill. I hate to admit that last part, but it's true in its entirety."

My father changed the subject after several uncomfortable moments. He closed his eyes and put his head down. "Go get ready. You're leaving at one o'clock."

I went upstairs and finally unpacked. I decided that if I was going to go through my bags and suitcases, I might as well unpack them before I left and put everything away when I got back. Picking out an outfit was challenging – I was afraid to wear anything that would mark me as a newbie or an outsider. All of my clothes were fashionable and from New York. This made Alice _very _proud, (if she could've taken me to New York to go back-to-school shopping, she would have) but it made me uncomfortable. I was still not used to the attention I got from men, but I'd been getting a lot more attention from women in the past few decades. Women had become jealous, envious creatures and I tended to resent them.

The closest mall was in Portland, and it was refreshing to see a town that was closer to a city than a village. The mall wasn't much. Actually, compared to most malls I'd been in, it was probably the worst. There weren't many stores to shop in, there were barely any people there… But hell, anything was better than Forks. The few hours out were exactly what I needed after six days in a car and a night in the woods.

At the end of our shopping trip, I had all my school supplies, ten new outfits, and three new pairs of shoes. Then, after a trip to the makeup store, I was all set. My conversation previously with my father still played over and over in my head the whole time I was gone. I didn't really care if my father was scared or worried for me. I was an adult and had been for most of my life. His lack of confidence in my control and strength made me want to prove him wrong. I had excellent control. I could stop feeding in with one thought about it. If I drank the blood, I would be stronger. Physically. I already knew what an emotionally and mentally strong person I was. I wanted physical strength like I wanted to breathe, though. To be on the same level as my family and some other vampires was more than I could ask for.

When we got home, I went hunting. Hunting was slightly more difficult in the dark than in the light, but my favorite animals came out at night. It had been shockingly very easy to revert back to a 'vegetarian' diet. I'd definitely surprised myself, getting back to drinking the blood of animals in the course of just a few days. Animal blood differed from human blood in the amount of strength it gave, but it also differed in taste. Not much, but having drunk both for long periods of time, I could tell the difference.

As I drained a fox of its last drops of blood, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that made me take a second glance. What I'd seen should have been impossible. I'd studied animals for a little while when I attended Harvard, so I knew quite a bit more than the average person, and I knew the animal I'd gotten a quick look at was _not_ normal.

My eyes scanned the forest until they met those of the giant wolf. It looked to me like any regular wolf you'd see in Canada or a scarce wild wolf in North America. But it was just so _big_. If I had half a brain in my head, I would've done one of two things: Freeze or run like hell. I did neither. I took a few slow steps closer to the creature, trying to examine it further. I got a pretty good look at it before its head turned away from mine and it took off even deeper into the woods. As soon as it made its exit and I heard the footsteps get quieter and quieter, I ran back to the house as fast as I could, locking the back door behind me. I doubted it would hold off a wolf the size of a small bear, but it was better than nothing.

My eyes were wide from surprise and my heartbeat accelerated from curiosity and fear. Carlisle entered the room after a day of work, eyes sweeping over me when he sensed that something weird had happened. At first, I was going to dismiss it, but as soon as he asked me what had happened, the words fell out of my open mouth.

"I was hunting – and this wolf – it was huge!" I was speaking in broken, quick statements, but my grandfather understood me with perfect clarity. "I've never seen a wolf that big before in all my five-hundred years on this planet! I didn't think a wolf could be that big! The biggest wolf to ever live!"

He listened to me ramble for almost another hour without interrupting. Being the history nerd and prehistoric animal nerd (while I loved animals in general, my favorites were prehistoric ones, specifically dinosaurs) I was, I went on for what seemed like forever about how illogical it was for a wolf that big to exist. The biggest wolf to ever live was the dire wolf, which went extinct approximately ten thousand years ago. Almost everything about that enormous wolf matched up with that of the dire wolf, and I couldn't shake the comparison.

"Do understand what I'm saying, Carlisle?" I asked. "I know you aren't into prehistory like I am, but I know my shit. This doesn't just happen. There are only a few possibilities here." I then listed them. "This is some kind of cloned dire wolf – unlikely, because they've been dead for thousands of years. This is some kind of genetically enhanced wolf by humans – unlikely, because humans never could have artificially enhanced an animal that efficiently. This is some kind of unnatural occurrence – unlikely, but not impossible."

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?" Carlisle guessed, amused.

"Of course not," I replied.

"I suppose your life here won't be as dreadful as you anticipated it."

With his last comment of our conversation, I realized that I had a new project. And that it was best to get started on it as soon as I could.


	4. Chapter 3

**Hello readers! If you really like this or have favorited this story, PLEASE review! Reviews are nice! This chapter is a lot of in Nessie's head… Sorry if there isn't enough dialogue… I like writing dialogue, but I also like writing in a character's deep thoughts. That's why I don't like writing in third person. It's too jumpy for me. :/ Anyways, thanks for reading! More reviews = more frequent updates!**

Chapter 3: FIRST DAY

I WOKE UP THE NEXT day with my hunting trip burned into my mind. It was rare for me to only think about one thing at a time, but this was just too important for me not to think about. If I didn't know so much already, I'd be screwed when it came to school, because I devoted most of my brain power to this one subject.

I picked out a very simple outfit from my new clothes. I wanted to put on my older clothes from New York, but I didn't want to stand out too much. They were too bright and attention-grabbing. My awesome sense of fashion combined with my natural beauty would definitely grab the attention of the students here. Most of the girls here were very plain, from what I'd seen. None of them were exceptionally beautiful or had great clothes. If I was as much of a spectacle as I was in other places, I would be the only spectacle in Forks.

I left my hair down in its usual bronze curls and put of very little makeup. I didn't need it at all, but it would probably help me fit in with the modern teenagers. Seventy years ago, makeup was primarily for movie stars like Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe. Regular girls had no reason to, and here, the girls needed all the help they could get.

I drove to school with my parents, which was honestly the last thing I wanted to do. They were still afraid; afraid I could and would snap at any moment. It wasn't entirely impossible, but I was sure enough of myself to know that I wasn't about to go on a killing spree. Like I'd said a thousand times before, I didn't kill just to kill. Being that wasteful would be a shame.

When we arrived at school, Alice handed me my schedule and I stuffed it in my jacket pocket. She frowned at my choice of clothing. "Seriously, Nessie?" she whined. "Did you really have to pick the _plainest_ outfit out of all the gorgeous clothes we bought you?"

"Don't want to be too conspicuous, Alice," I excused. "Sorry."

She sighed. "Whatever. Do you know where you're going?"

I shrugged. "It's a small enough campus. I'll figure it out."

"Okay. Meet us for lunch!" demanded Alice.

"Sure thing," I agreed, going my separate way from my family. They all waved goodbye and wished me good luck as they went off to their first class of the day.

My day wasn't horrible. It wasn't brilliant, either, though. My teachers were nothing special, but I could tolerate them. They wouldn't be hard to tune out. I could just live off of my own knowledge. I'd been to college eight times, so I was already pretty well educated. My intelligence exceeded that of a human high school student, so I would definitely get straight A's without even trying.

I didn't put myself out there too much. I didn't want to stand out. I already stood out amongst my family and I hated it. I wanted to blend in as much as I could. However, when I walked into my English teacher's classroom, I introduced myself right away. With a smile on my face and a firm handshake, no less.

"Good morning Mr. Russo," I greeted. "I'm Renesmee Cullen, but I prefer being called Nessie." Explaining my names was difficult. All I could say about my full name was that I was named after all four of my grandparents by combining the names of my grandmothers into my first name and the names of my grandfathers into my middle name. 'Nessie' was a nickname given to me by my dear Uncle Emmett, who had strongly believed in the legends of the Loch Ness Monster, and hoped to discover it someday. He had no such luck, but the nickname still stuck.

Mr. Russo was a surprisingly very handsome man. With his dark, messy hair, ice blue eyes, and outrageous jawline, he could easily be a male model. He looked to me like he was in his mid-twenties, but still looked a bit too young to be a teacher. He reciprocated my handshake and politeness with a polite compliment.

"It's a pleasure, Miss Cullen," he said. "You're quite the outgoing young lady, aren't you?"

"Not always, but today, yes. This is my fifth school in the past two years and this is where I'm staying, so I'm allowing myself to get used to everything and everyone." That was a lie. Almost everything I'd said and everything I was going to say throughout the course of the day was untrue as well. Just as untrue as the story that my father was my older brother.

"That's rough," my teacher sympathized. "I moved around a lot as a kid, too."

"Yeah, well, my dad's a doctor, so he keeps finding better jobs – I don't know _how _– and we have to keep moving," I lied.

"Oh, your father is Dr. Cullen, isn't he?" Mr. Russo realized.

I nodded. "Yes. Well, not biologically. He adopted me and my brother. And the rest of my siblings. Some of us are related by blood, but the only one I'm related to by blood is my brother, Edward."

"I've heard you have a bit of a full house."

"Yes, I do. I have three sisters and three brothers. _And _we're all teenagers, so you could imagine how rough that is."

"I actually can't," he revealed. "I'm an only child."

So was I, but I wasn't about to say that. I gave him a sad smile. "Then I guess you can't. Believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be. My family's insane. And I'm the youngest, so they _love_ picking on me."

"Well, if you make yourself an easy target…" He winked and laughed.

"I can already tell that this is going to be my least favorite class," I predicted with a roll of my eyes.

"Don't worry about it," Mr. Russo insisted. "I always choose my most outgoing student to tease for the whole year. Banter is fun, don't you agree?"

"Alright," I allowed. "I just want to let you know that I can dish it out as fast as you can serve."

The bell rang and he started the class. His first lesson wouldn't be until Friday, which I thought was amazing. Everything about him was just really _cool_. He would definitely be every student's favorite teacher, if he wasn't already. I looked around the room and saw that lovestruck look in every girl's eyes. He would definitely take on the role as "the hot teacher" as well. I didn't blame the girls, but being around vampires my whole life, I'd seen much more beautiful people.

About ten minutes after class began, a late student burst in the door. Mr. Russo sighed in exasperation. "You must be Jacob Black," he assumed. "Nice of you to join us."

"Sorry," the boy apologized. "First day of school, still trying to find my way around."

"It's alright, take a seat." He picked up right where he left off with his story, but my attention was elsewhere.

Jacob hadn't looked away from me since I first caught his eye. It wasn't the most unusual thing to happen. I was used to the stares, open mouths and wide eyes. His reaction to seeing me was different, though. Sure, he was staring at me, but he was also looking at me like I was the most glorious thing in the world. It seemed impossible – he hadn't even ever talked to me before or even _heard me speak_. He didn't know anything about me, so I just figured that he was awed by my physical appearance and left it at that.

Except, I couldn't stop looking at him either. I would try to focus on whatever Mr. Russo was talking about for a minute, and then I'd steal a glance in Jacob's direction. He caught me several times, smiling when he did, and I caught him doing the same thing. It was odd. A human had never caught my attention so much. Of course, I'd dated humans and even pretended to like them, but no one had ever made me do this. It was so silly, so childish. So far beyond my level of maturity.

"So," Mr. Russo said loudly, smacking his hand down on my desk to get my attention, "I'm not going to do any real teaching until the end of the week, but I'm going to give you guys your first assignment."

The class loudly "Booed" at him, and I heard quite a few groans and whines. I shook my head at the upfront disrespect they showed him. When and where I was growing up, that would be completely unacceptable. It wouldn't even get to that point – no student or child would ever think about doing or saying that. This made me worried for the future of the world.

"I want you to write a biography about the person that _I_ pair you up with," our teacher announced.

Now, this, I had to complain about. "Mr. Russo, doesn't that seem a bit juvenile? I mean, we're in a high school _honors _class. Shouldn't we be writing more mature, adult pieces?"

"No," he disagreed. "And you know what? Mr. Black seems a bit juvenile, so you're going to be partners with _him_."

Mr. Russo assigned everyone else's partners, and Jacob came over and sat next to me. We smiled at each other for a brief moment before we both started cracking up. I hadn't laughed this hard or this long in a really, really long time, and it felt nice. I was a little embarrassed about my laugh, how loud and obnoxious it was, but it didn't really seem to matter around him. Jacob just laughed right alongside me, enjoying the light moment as much as I was.

"That little staring contest was… interesting," he commented. "I'm Jacob."

I nodded. "I know." This made him chuckle. "I'm Renesmee Cullen, but everyone just calls me Nessie." I reached out to shake his hand. The moment our skin touched, I was flooded with what felt like an electrical shock. His hand was also every bit as warm as mine was. For some reason, vampire hybrids had a body temperature even higher than that of a human. I wondered if Jacob was feeling well, especially because of the cold rain outside. There was no way he could be that warm.

"Ah." He looked at me with a confused expression. "That's a… different name."

"Yeah…" I explained the modified version of the giving of my names to him. "I suppose I should start telling you my life story, then. I was born in London, England on September eleventh, nineteen-ninety-five."

"Wow, how did you end up here?"

"My parents were very young when I was born and even younger when my brother was born. My mother was sixteen when she got pregnant with my brother and he's a year older than me. When I was a few months old, they immigrated to the United States. And then they decided that they were too young to have such a big responsibility by having two babies, so they put us up for adoption."

Jacob frowned. "I'm sorry. That must be so hard."

"It's not too bad. I still wonder what it would've been like to have been raised by them, but I had a good life. Carlisle and Esme are amazing and I couldn't have been raised by two better people. They're twenty-six, and I've only been with them for a few years, but they're the only parents I've ever known. I have two other adopted brothers and three adopted sisters."

"Big family, huh?"

"Yeah… So, tell me more about you. I've basically shared almost my whole life story with you."

Jacob sighed, but it was more of a sign of adoration. He'd watched me and talked to me in such an admiring way. "I have two older sisters, Rebecca and Rachel. They're twins and they graduated last year. My dad has been raising us by himself since my mom died when I was six."

For the first time in a long time, I felt bad for a human. I'd nearly killed my mother before I was even born, and if I'd had to live for the rest of eternity with that guilt on me, my father resenting me, and living on my own, I would probably be even more miserable than I was with my life. "I'm so sorry. That's horrible, losing your mother so young…"

He shrugged. "You lost your parents before you were a year old."

"That's different," I insisted. "My parents gave me up, they didn't want me. I was rejected. I didn't even know them, but you knew your mother. It would've been a whole other story if my parents had given me up for adoption five years ago rather than when I was five months old."

"That's true…" I could tell he didn't want to talk about it, so he changed the subject. We talked for the rest of the class and I even smiled a few times. It was so different to talk to a human instead of rip their throat out… I hadn't actually _talked _to someone like this in years, even if I was telling lies the entire time.

"Class is going to end in five minutes," warned Mr. Russo. "Please, exchange phone numbers, e-mail addresses, whatever so you can finish these papers. They're due by the end of the week."

I took a sheet of paper out of my notebook, ripping it in half. I kept one half for myself, writing my contact information, and giving the other half to Jacob to do the same. We exchanged the papers and tucked them away in our backpacks. We waited patiently for the bell to ring, and when he got up, he grabbed my arm. He was stronger than I'd anticipated, but he didn't hurt me. It would take a lot more than a strong teenage human to even scratch me.

"What did you say your last name was?" he wondered.

That was what he wanted? That was it? "Oh. It's Cullen."

"Cullen," he repeated. He then turned on a bright smile, one that may or may not have made my heart melt. "I'll call you or… something."

I smiled back. "I'll answer your call or something."

His smile turned into an all-out grin as he let go of me and turned to the left while I turned right. "See you, Nessie."

"Bye, Jacob."

As I strutted down the hallway, I was soon joined by a fashionable Latina girl. She was taller than me by a significant amount, but she was wearing pretty tall heels. She was curvy and fit, with long, silky black hair, and a beautiful face. From what I could tell, she was d_efinitely _Puerto Rican. She looked down at me and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Cristina," she introduced. "Cristina Santiago."

"Nessie Cullen," I said.

"I know that. You're new here, aren't you?" she asked.

"Yes, I am…" I elaborated no further and continued walking to my locker.

"Wait!" Cristina exclaimed. "You're in my Spanish class, right?"

I thought back to my second class of the day, wondering if I'd actually looked at any of the other students. She seemed vaguely familiar, so I took her word for it. "Yeah, I am."

"When do you having lunch?"

I looked down at my schedule. "Now." We'd arrived at my locker, and I began switching my books around.

"Will you eat with me and my friends?" offered Cristina. "We'd love the company, and my boyfriend and his friends sit with us, too. You'll never stop laughing, they're great."

I considered this. I certainly didn't want to sit with my family. I was still not on good terms with them. So, I accepted Cristina's offer and followed her to the cafeteria. When I got there, I called out for my dad in my head. His head snapped in my direction, focusing entirely on my thoughts and my thoughts only.

_I made some new friends, I guess, _I thought. _I'm going to sit with them._

My father nodded, and his attention was taken by whatever Alice was saying. I listened closely to hear him explain to the table that I wouldn't be joining them for lunch. Alice and Emmett whined, complaining that I hadn't spent any family time with them since my return. I frankly didn't care. I loved Alice and Emmett dearly, but "family time" wasn't exactly what I wanted to do here. I didn't want to do anything here. I wanted to go back to New York, still.

Cristina and I both got salads, and I knew I wouldn't eat mine. I would pick at it, but I definitely wouldn't eat the whole thing. As much as I wanted to fit in with the humans in Forks, I wasn't willing to sacrifice eating human food. I liked blood, even if it wasn't human blood. I wish I could say that blood was blood, but that wasn't true. However, any blood was much better than anything else.

When we arrived at Cristina's lunch table, I was a bit surprised to see none other than Jacob Black sitting at the table with his and Cristina's friends. I panicked momentarily, hoping that Jacob wasn't the boyfriend Cristina was talking about. And then I stopped myself from thinking that entirely.

_Why do you care if she's his girlfriend? _I mentally scolded myself. _That shouldn't matter to you. You barely know him _and_ you barely know her._

Much to my unexplainable relief, Cristina kissed one of the other boys right on the mouth. He must have been her boyfriend, and obviously, one of Jacob's friends. Jacob's friends and Cristina's friends all introduced themselves to me, and I enjoyed each of them as soon as I met them. Before anyone exchanged any introductions, though, I greeted Jacob.

"Fancy meeting you here, huh, Jacob?" I teased. "Who would've thought that we'd be in the same circle? I mean, you just seem so popular that I never thought I'd be on your level. And Cristina, you're way too glamorous for me to be friends with."

Cristina rolled her eyes and there was something very sassy about it. "Oh, please. You might be whiter than snow, but you're gorgeous. Don't kid yourself."

This made me laugh. She was a real firecracker and I enjoyed her feistiness. And I was willing to bet that her boyfriend did, too. I supposed I was wrong about the girls at forks. Cristina was probably the sexiest, most attractive female human I'd ever met. Her friends weren't trolls, either. They individually introduced themselves to me. The first to address me was a beautiful, petite Jewish girl.

"I'm Faye Morreti," she said, letting me know that she had an accent that I was _very_ familiar with.

"Are you from the Bronx?" I inquired excitedly.

She nodded. "Yes. I'm a New Yorker. Have you ever been?"

"Yes," I answered. "I lived there before I moved here. I love it and miss it every day. I lived in Manhattan, but the Bronx is close enough. I frigging _love_ the Bronx."

"Me too!" she squealed, showing that she was indeed Italian. As if I couldn't tell by her olive complexion and loud voice that she was Italian. I could tell by her curly hair and hooked nose, too, that she was Jewish. Others might call her nose ugly, and she might have even been told a few times that she needed a nose job, but I thought it completed her. She wouldn't have looked right with any other nose. She seemed to have as bold of a personality as Cristina.

"Well, I'm a born-and-raised Forks native," a blond girl said. She astonished me with her beauty, too. She had a pale complexion and a very English-looking face. Her hair was shoulder-length and suited her perfectly. "I'm Valerie Harrison." Definitely English. Her voice was sweet and soft, but it carried to me over the roar of the cafeteria without trouble. "No relation to George Harrison."

I laughed. I could get along with this girl. The Beatles were my favorite band and had been since before they came to America in the nineteen-sixties. I'd been living in Liverpool at the time, and I'd followed them around Europe since before they were officially "The Beatles" and before Ringo Starr became a member of the group. When they made their journey to the United States, I myself returned there, and followed them to every concert that I could. I owned each of their records and each of them were personally signed. I'd even met them a few times. My obsession with them was one of my only obsessions ever. I was devastated when they broke up, but I'd have the memories forever.

Back in the year two-thousand-twelve, I addressed Valerie with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Valerie."

"I'm Svetlana Todorov, but you can call me Lana," said the only girl at the table that I didn't now know.

My eyebrows pulled down in thought. Her large, chocolate brown eyes and long chocolate brown hair were definitely indications of her ethnicity, as was her name. "It's a pleasure, Lana. Are you Romanian or Russian?"

"Bulgarian," she clarified. "I was born in Bulgaria." I knew she was something foreign, but I didn't know she was _from _a foreign country. Her radiance was almost distracting. She seemed like such a selfless, gentle person. Her voice was deep and soothing and her manner was so kind and friendly.

"I was born in England," I disclosed. "So, I guess we're both immigrants."

"I am, too!" proclaimed Cristina. "I was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. I don't even speak English at home."

This completely took me by surprise. What a cultural, ethnic group of girls. They were all so different, so rare. I wondered how they'd all come together. That story must have been interesting. The differences between the girls and how easily the operated around each other reminded me of the differences in ethnicity between all the people in New York. It was so comforting.

Jacob's friends were another story. Both of them, including Jacob, where Native American. They all had the same appearance if you didn't study them close enough. All tall, all the same black hair cut the same way. They seemed to be good friends, too, like they'd grown up together. They probably had, living in La Push, the small reservation for their tribe, the Quileutes. Embry introduced himself as Cristina's boyfriend, and Quil introduced himself as Jacob's best friend. Embry and Quil then argued back and forth over who was Jacob's best friend. They came to the conclusion that they would be each other's best friend, leaving Jacob without one.

They were good for a laugh. I enjoyed myself in their presence. They were crazy, wild, lively, and I was thankful for it. It had been a long time since I'd had actual _people_ in my life. I'd been so solitary and so alone for so long that I felt incredible being with companions that might even turn into friends. I almost felt as if I _fit in_ with them, which was entirely new to me.

About ten minutes before lunch was going to end, another tall young man strolled over to our table, taking a seat next to Lana and kissing her on the cheek, greeting her with and adoring, "Hello." I studied him closely. Skin just as pale as mine. Slight blush in his cheeks. Impossibly beautiful features. Musical voice.

Had I just encountered another hybrid?

**Sorry for the cliffhanger! I'm really excited about the next chapter, it mine be even longer than this one ^.^ Also, who is this boy that's kissing on Lana? How do you like the OCs? They're completely, 100% mine! REVIEW! **


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: NOT ALONE

CERTAINLY, IF HE WAS A hybrid, wouldn't I already know of it? Shouldn't _I_ know if there were others like me? If he was a hybrid, we were either about to have a lot to deal with or a great companion. And I was about to have someone I could relate to. Because if this boy was really, truly a hybrid, that meant that there really were others like me. Maybe I wasn't as alone and solitary as I thought I was.

He didn't notice me until after several minutes of me blatantly staring at him. He let out a warm, musical laugh and spoke to me. "Can I help you with something? I'm sure we've never met before."

I shook my head. "No, no, I'm fine…"

Lana hadn't picked up on my strange behavior and smiled, gesturing to me. "Alex, this is Nessie Cullen. We're taking her under our wing."

Alex's eyes went wide. "Cullen?" he choked.

"Yes," Lana replied, confused now. "Babe, what's wrong?"

He cleared his throat and his face and became friendly again. "Nothing, Lana. It's nice to meet you, Nessie. I'm Alex Scott."

I reached out to shake his hand and found that our skin was the exact same temperature. If my suspicions hadn't been confirmed enough, this definitely sealed the deal. He was a vampire-human hybrid. There were others of my kind. I wasn't completely alone in the world. In fact, I wasn't alone at all. He was living, breathing proof of it.

The bell rang and the gang and I went to our last classes of the day. I caught up with my father, showing him what had just happened and what I'd just discovered. He gave me a nod, telling me that we'd talk about it later. I took this as a bad sign, that I was just crazy and desperate, looking for a way to fit in somewhere. I doubted this almost entirely, but it was still a possibility. Even though I'd never admit it aloud, the few times I was on my own, it hadn't just been for drinking human blood. I had been searching for hybrids for decades at a time, and I'd had no such luck. But I almost positively found one in Forks, Washington, though. The world was seriously messed up…

Arriving upon my classroom, I found Lana and Alex there, sitting next to each other. I took a seat behind Lana and we talked until the bell rang. She was a seriously sweet girl, and it was highly probable that we would become friends. She was just one of those people that everyone wanted to be around. And it wasn't because she had the best clothes, or because she was what humans thought was "pretty" or "popular." It was because she had a kickass personality and she lit up the room.

I silently laughed the whole way through U.S. History because I already knew everything about it. My family and I had been some of the first English immigrants to journey to the U.S. and I'd experienced everything we were going to learn _in person_. Every war, every inch of progress, every buying of every state, every president. I could ace this class without ever showing up for a lesson.

I made sure that after the bell rang, I caught Alex alone. I found him in the parking lot at his car, unlocking it and throwing his backpack in the back seat. He noticed me and stopped what he was doing, leaning against his car and waiting for me to initiate the conversation. I had a lot to say and ask and I think he knew that.

"What do you know about me?" I blurted out. "Or, rather, my family?"

He sighed, looking across the parking lot at my mother and father waiting for me. Alex waved to my dad, and to my surprise, he waved back. Puzzled, I turned back to him, and his eyes returned to mine. His expression was knowing and I wondered how my father knew him and how he knew my father.

"Do you know my family?" I asked.

"Yes," he answered. "I do."

"_How_? And _what_ are you?" I demanded.

His lips turned up into a kind smile. "I'm like you, Nessie. A hybrid. Half vampire. I'm not sure what you call it, but we're the same. I encountered your family about ten years ago when I was running away from my father."

"Your father? If you don't mind me asking, who is your father? He's definitely a vampire…"

"Aro," he said bitterly. "Aro is my father."

I stared at him in shock, entirely incapable of speech.

_Aro_.

Aro of the Volturi.

Aro, the _evil leader _of the Volturi.

Aro, the evil leader of the whole vampire _world_.

In my mind, I was back in England, where the Volturi had come to kill me. Irina, who'd been one of my family's good friends, had mistaken me for an immortal child. Immortal children were completely against vampire laws and always would be. The frightening cloaked creatures arrived at a meadow on the English countryside to battle us and destroy me and my family. We'd convinced them of what I truly was; the product of a human and a vampire, and they'd – for the most part – stayed away from us. I still had that last picture of Aro tucked away in my brain, that terrifying expression on his face. He sometimes still showed up in my nightmares.

"Oh my goodness," I breathed. "We need to talk about this some other time. My dad's impatient." As if to confirm my statement, he honked his horn and I flipped him off.

"Alright," Alex agreed. "Some other time. I'll give you my number. And Lana's, just in case I'm over at her place." He wrote down the phone numbers, which was a little silly to me. I had a perfect memory. I could remember them only ever having heard them once. He handed me the piece of paper and opened his car door to get in.

"Wait!" I exclaimed, grabbing his forearm. He looked up at me, waiting for my next question or statement. "Does… does Lana know?"

He nodded, sadness in his eyes. "I tried to keep it from her, but she was too smart. She figured it out on her own. I didn't even have to give her any hints. She's okay with it, though. I live with another hybrid, my sister, Antonia."

My heart started to pound, but my voice got even softer. "There's another?"

"When Aro found out about you," explained Alex, "he wanted his own hybrids. I have four other siblings, but the only one I know is Toni."

I gasped, moving my hand over my mouth. I removed it only to give him a quick, "Goodbye. I'll see you tomorrow," and then I hurried over to my father's car. I felt as though I'd just discovered a whole other world. I technically had. It made me resent my family a little. They'd known about this for as long as they'd known Alex, which was ten years. They hadn't called me or written me at all. Nothing to notify me of what I'd searched my whole life for. Bastards.

"I heard that," reprimanded my father. "We should have told you – I'm not debating that. We might've gotten you back earlier. We just didn't want you to do… well, this. You're going to devote so much time to this, and with the wolf thing… Like I said, we just got you back, and we want to spend as much time with you as we can."

I tried to relate to why he would do and say this, but I just couldn't. I couldn't fathom what motive any of them could have to keep me from finding more of my kind. It made me want to leave again. I knew that would make my mother so sad, and I couldn't bear hurting her again. My guilt about ever hurting her in the past stuck with me every day. I would never let her know that, though, because then _she _would feel bad. I would never win in this family.

The first thing I did when I got home was the minimal amount of homework given by my teachers. Then, I called Alex and talked to him for at least an hour before I got everything I need to get. I found out a lot about him and I figured out that I actually really liked him – he was just generally a good person and he really adored Lana. I could tell by the way he talked about her and just _melted _around her. I'd picked up on those few minutes he sat with us at lunch and all through History. He'd been holding her hand and randomly kissing her cheek when the teacher wasn't looking.

I suddenly felt bad for both him and Lana. They were undoubtedly in love – there was no denying that – but she was mortal and he was immortal. There love could never last. Not unless he changed her. (Which I'd recently found out that he very well could. Unlike me, he was indeed venomous.) It reminded me of the situation my parents had once, quite briefly, been in. It was the classic tragic love story – the handsome vampire boy falls in love with the beautiful human girl. I cringed at the thought of how many times throughout history that'd been written about.

After a while on the phone with Alex, I debated calling Jacob. I must've dialed his number ten times before actually pressing the call button. I was afraid he wouldn't pick up, afraid that he had caller ID, and afraid that he just didn't like me. Then I realized two things – I didn't care whether or not he liked me and he obviously _did_ like me. It was a silly assumption, because he answered before the fourth or fifth ring.

I talked to Jacob for _hours_. I just had so much to talk to him about, and he was an interesting person. He was so full of life, so warm and human. It almost made me crave being human, which was something I was not at all used to. I'd always wanted to be a full vampire, not a full human. But after so long of not being one or the other, I wasn't even sure what I wanted anymore.

Finally, at two in the morning, we both agreed to go to sleep. I was exhausted, my eyes bloodshot and my eyelids heavy. I was sad to hang up, but I did it gladly and climbed into my warm, comfortable bed. It was warm and luxurious and I had no trouble falling asleep. I had a pretty pleasant dream, but what was _not _pleasant was being woken up at six o'clock in the morning.

When Alice loudly became my alarm clock, I groaned and rolled over onto my side, cocooning myself in my blankets. After twenty minutes of extra sleep, I got up and slowly got ready, picking out a pair of distressed skinny jeans, an old Beatles t-shirt, black blazer, and mid-calf, leather stiletto boots. It was definitely my style, something I would've worn in New York. I'd bought most of the outfit in New York, except for the Beatles t-shirt. That had come from a concert in nineteen-sixty-seven in Chicago.

Although I was in a deadened, sleepless state, I noticed something in the garage. At first, I'd thought it was a figment of my imagination, but examining it closer, I discovered that it was definitely what I'd thought it was. I was my Mustang.

I turned to whoever was in the garage with me, and almost started to cry. I found that it was Rosalie, and she was smiling widely at my reaction. "Rosalie… When did this get here?"

"Last night," she answered. "When you were on the phone with that boy."

I sighed, perceiving that my whole family had heard me talking on the phone to Jacob, and that my dad had been able to hear my thoughts. I wondered if I'd said anything particularly embarrassing, but at that point, I honestly couldn't remember and I didn't really care. My family didn't control me and I was an adult and had been for about five-hundred years. Thinking more deeply into that, I realized that my birthday was only a week away.

I opened the driver's door to my Mustang, finding the keys in the ignition. I put my hands on the wheel, stroking the gorgeous black leather. I shifted to examine the rest of the car, seeing that it was exactly the same as it had been when I'd had it in New York. My father told me not to worry about it, but I figured that meant he was going to sell it. I was so wrong, and I was so happy for the first time in my life that I was wrong about something.

I almost started crying when I started the engine and rolled down my window. At least in this shitty town with so many things for me to figure out, I had a piece of New York here with me. It was all I needed to keep from hating this place even more. This car had meant everything to me in my years away from my family and I never wanted to part ways with it again. I'd always thought that I had a better relationship with this car than I did with either of my parents, which was probably true.

I gave everyone a general, "See you at school!" and rolled out of the garage after Rosalie opened the door. I drove much too fast, but I didn't care. I was like my father in that way – I'd never been pulled over for speeding. Come to think of it, I'd never been pulled over for anything. I was just that good of a driver.

On my way to school, I stopped at a gas station to get some energy drinks. Although I was on a new high from getting my car back, I was still exhausted. Talking on the phone all night was draining, even to a half-vampire. Even I needed sleep. It wasn't that I regretted talking to Jacob all night – I didn't. I actually quite enjoyed it.

While my family's cars might have been nice and new and shiny, my car was all that and more, and that was proved when I pulled into a spot in the school parking lot in everyone's view. I doubted anyone had seen a car like this in a long time, such a stylish, deep blue Mustang. I almost laughed at the stares and open mouths, but I stopped myself. Turning the car off and getting out, I slammed the door, locked it, and threw the keys in my backpack. And then half the people staring began staring at me, the other half still staring at my car. This was exactly the sort of thing I'd wanted to avoid, but when it came to my car, I wanted to do everything I could to show it off.

After drinking two Monster energy drinks and a Rockstar, I was fresh and ready for the day.

Until my fourth class when my heartbeat began to slow and my blood pressure lowered significantly. I also really had to pee. I felt horrible, and I regretted ever drinking those energy drinks. I'd never felt like this before – I'd never even purchased an energy drink – and it caught me off guard. I asked my Spanish teacher if I could go to the nurse and he didn't hesitate in writing me a pass. I must have looked as bad as I felt.

I got to lie down and relax in the nurse's office for two or three class periods, which was exactly what I needed. While I was there, the injured and sick students asked me all about my car with excited eyes, even if they were injured and sick. It was almost funny, how one new thing could cause such a mania. It was only one car, but somehow, the whole school already knew about it. That only proved how pathetic humans were, especially the ones in Forks.

When I decided I was well enough to leave, the nurse let me go with a pass to English class. Great. Mr. Russo was going to give me hell for this. Only if I told him the truth, though, but I had a feeling it would be pretty hard to lie to him about this. He seemed like he could see right through me, like he was a human lie detector test. He might as well have been a vampire.

I arrived a few minutes late upon his class, and he stopped whatever he was talking about to probe me on why I was late. I seriously liked this guy, but there was just something about him that made me want to punch him in the balls. Hard. There was also another thing that set me off about him, but I couldn't quite yet pin it.

"Miss Cullen," he said in an elegant manner. "Coming from the nurse?"

"Yes," I replied.

"Why ever would you be coming from the nurse?" he questioned. "You seemed perfectly healthy yesterday, and you look so today."

I swallowed, looking him in the eye shamefully. "I drank too many energy drinks this morning."

I thought Mr. Russo was going to die laughing, but he didn't. "You weren't up late talking to Mr. Black on the phone, were you?" he wondered.

My eyes flashed to Jacob, and he was smiling slightly. I rolled my eyes and gave my teacher the best answer I could. "You told us to work on our paper, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did," he corresponded. "But I _didn't _tell you that you had to stay up until all hours of the night to work on it. It also isn't due for another three days."

"You know, you can be a real–" I stopped myself from saying something that could definitely get me suspended.

The class laughed at my attempt at a comeback, and so did Mr. Russo. I had a feeling that this would be us for the rest of the year. He was young, and he was damned good at bickering. He was clever and quick and I hated him for it. He really was exactly what I'd stopped myself from calling him. _Douche bag_.

The rest of the class was miserable. Mr. Russo constantly kept poking at me, calling me out on having a crush of Jacob, being a love-struck teenager, blah, blah, blah… The funniest part about everything he was accusing me of was that it wasn't even a little bit true. I _didn't_ have a crush on Jacob… Or did I? I was in no place to decide that yet, though. I barely knew him.

_That's a lie_, I told myself. I did know him. Not well, but well enough. Talking on the phone for hours and hours gave me an inside look into his personal life. Of course, I didn't know everything, but I knew a lot more that I'd known twenty-four hours earlier. He was actually a pretty amazing person from what I'd heard, too…

Oh_ no_. I couldn't be falling for him, could I? There was no way! I'd just met him! The deepest I'd gotten with him was how much he missed his mother. And I couldn't doubt that that was pretty deep for a teenage boy to admit. I liked him, though. It was definite. But I didn't _want _to. I wanted to find more hybrids, find others like me, like Alex. I wanted to meet his sister, and after high school, I wanted to go searching for more. I didn't think I'd ever be satisfied if I didn't.

And the worst part was that he was _human_. That was bound to end badly for the both of us. I didn't want him to be any part of this. I didn't want the Volturi to find out and threaten to kill him. He was too good, too innocent for this crazy, messed up world. I'd also never fallen in love. I'd hooked up with plenty of humans and plenty of vampires, though, but that wasn't real. I didn't have any feelings for any of them.

However, I did kind of maybe almost have a_ little bit_ of feelings for Jacob.

Shit.

I wasn't even kidding myself.

**TAH-DAH! Sorry for the wait & sorry it's a little short…! I've been super busy, it's spring break and Easter was yesterday and Glee is on tomorrow and I just – my excitement toward everything – I just can't and– I'll stop LOL. Tell me how you like it! How is Nessie going to come to terms with having feelings for a human? ;) What more will she learn about Alex? Do you like Alex? LET ME KNOW! (Review) ahahaha**


	6. Chapter 5

**Alrighty folks. Here it is. I really hope you enjoyed the last chapter which featured mentions Toni, Alex's hybrid sister. There's more to build on that in this chapter as Nessie explores the mysteries of her kind and the side of her that's human… And what the f**k is up with Mr. Russo? What's his deal? I don't know… you'll have to find out (; Review, please! Reviews are like crack to me! (Not really, but you get the comparison…) I'm already planning a sequel and I think I'm really onto something. I'm planning some FOR REAL SHIT for this story, so don't abandon it! It's TOTALLY AWESOME! And for Nessie/Jacob fans, you'll get your fix in this chapter for sure! I just love what Jacob brings out in her (: It's adorable. You'll also get to formerly meet Antonia, or Toni, Alex's sister! :D**

**OH! BTW, I haven't done any disclaimers, so…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight! Stephenie Meyer does! I own my original characters! (Mr. Russo, Cristina, Alex, Lana, Valerie, Faye, and Toni)**

Chapter 5:

FOR THE NEXT WEEK, I tried to do too many things: Learn more about Alex, spend time with my human friends, sort out my feelings for Jacob, and figure out the wolf dilemma that had long since been forgotten. The first of those on my list of priorities was to learn more about Alex. I'd spent quite a few afternoons on the phone with Alex, and on one of the few days that he wasn't spending with Lana after school, he invited me over to his sister, Antonia, or as she preferred to be called, Toni. It was cute, short, and spunky, and I could tell just from her first name that she was Italian.

Friday – the day my paper about Jacob was due, which was _not _helping me ignore my humanity over him – I followed Alex to his house from school. His house wasn't too far away from mine, and I memorized the directions there as I went. I had a funny feeling that we'd be spending a lot of time together. We really, honestly, had a lot to learn from each other and I hoped Lana wouldn't get jealous. I didn't peg her as the jealous type, but judging from the amount of time I would have to spend with her boyfriend to learn everything I could, it was quite possible that she could get envious.

His house was beautiful – small, but classic and very well kept. It was older, but you wouldn't be able to tell from the excellent condition it was kept in. It was a gorgeous pale blue and the vines growing up the one side of it made me want to steal it. It was very charming. The gardens and short, white fencing around them gave the whole place a sense of safety and care. I could tell just by looking at the freshly-cut grass that they cared deeply about their home. It reminded me of how hard Esme worked – on top of working from home – on keeping up with our large home and making it outstanding.

I parked my car behind Alex's, following him up the unique stone pathway to the front door. He simply walked right in and hung his backpack and jacket up on a coat rack, and I did the same. The house was even more beautiful inside. The dark hardwood floors were polished and shiny and looked brand new. The walls were blue, like the outside, and were a similar shade to it. Looking around, I saw a staircase leading to the second level of the house and I wondered what the upstairs looked like. _Probably like the rest of the house_, I thought.

The plants on the windowsills cast a shadow on the white carpet in the living room, a direct result from the sunlight pouring in through the rather large window. Walking into the kitchen, we found a tall, ravishing girl washing dishes. She looked up from her sink full of soap bubbles and smiled at her brother.

"Hey, kid," she greeted. Her voice took me by surprise. I hadn't expected such a deep, wise voice to come from such a sweet and innocent-looking girl. "How was school?"

"Good," Alex replied. "How was your day?"

"Just grand," she said with a smile.

So this was her. This was Toni, the sister that Alex spoke so fondly of. She wasn't at all what I expected. She was very unique-looking. She seemed to have features from not only Italy, but German and English features as well. She should have been a model – her pale blond hair, full, curvy figure and marvelous face could've landed her on the cover of any magazine. Her height surpassed my own, and by my guess, she was about five-foot-seven or five-foot-eight. She was _definitely _a whole lot of woman.

"Is this the hybrid you've been talking about so much?" asked Toni, her smile now directed toward me.

Alex nodded. "Yes, Toni. This is Nessie Cullen."

"It's nice to meet you." She crossed the room and shook my hand. "It's been a long time since I've met another hybrid. It's so great to find another one. I'll thoroughly enjoy spending time with you." She laughed nervously and looked at the floor. "I haven't been able to get close to many hybrids."

"Oh… Why is that?"

Her eyebrows shot up. "You haven't heard?" She turned to Alex. "You didn't tell her?"

Alex looked nervous and guilty, which was not a good sign. "Well… I didn't want to scare her. We barely know each other, you know."

"I don't care!" Toni snapped. "She has a right to know! She's being hunted down, too!"

"_What?" _I exclaimed, looking back and forth, from one sibling to another. "What are you talking about? 'Being hunted down?' By who? Alex, what the hell is going on?"

He sighed, taking me by the arm and dragging me into a room off of the kitchen, which appeared to be another living room-type area. I couldn't let its elegance distract me, because I was more focused on the situation going on between me and these two people than I was on anything else. I didn't really know what was going on, but from the sound of it, it wasn't good.

"Nessie," said Alex softly. "I want to let you know that no one knew about this until about five years ago, and you family doesn't even know yet."

I nodded. "Alex, whatever it is, just spit it out already."

He took a deep breath to prepare himself for what he was about to tell me. "The Volturi… Aro, more specifically…" I heard Toni make a noise of disgust, but didn't look up from Alex's blue-green eyes. "They want to create an army of hybrids. They've been collecting them up for a year. Toni and I should have been the first ones to go, but we've been cleverly hiding out here for a year and a half and no one has discovered us yet. Aro knows about you. The only reason he had me, Toni, and my other siblings was because he wanted his _own_ hybrids. And now, he wants even more. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

I felt and heard me heart begin to beat faster. A sob built up within me, but I only allowed a few tears to escape. The world worked in such a funny way, didn't it? I'd wanted to meet other hybrids my whole life, and I was going to – as a result of being kidnapped and being forced to serve in a Volturi-run army. I'd be getting what I wanted, but not the way I'd wanted it…

When I saw that vacant yet hopeless expression on Toni's face, I knew it was serious. I didn't know how much it impacted her, but it must have if she'd handle it this way. Alex had told me a few days earlier that she'd been raised by Aro and the Volturi, but she'd asked for permission to leave on her eighteenth birthday, and they'd allowed her to go. From there, she met Alex and they lived on their own together. Alex was a few years younger than her, but they'd both been at their maximum for physical maturity and they soon turned into great friends.

There was more to it than that, though. I could see it in Toni's eyes. What could it be, though? A lover? A sibling? Someone else taken from her by the Volturi? It had to be. There was no way she was this worried about getting stuck with the Volturi forever. She'd lived with them before for eighteen years, and they let her go. Why wouldn't they this time? Aro was her father, after all.

And then I remembered that while Aro might be someone's father, that didn't necessarily make him a good one.

After a good amount of time, I drove home as fast as I could. Despite this bad news, I felt like a bad bitch in my awesome car. It was still my pride and joy, my baby, my token to popularity. I couldn't care less about popularity, but it was still nice. The attention was both flattering and exciting.

Parked in the garage with my car off, I allowed myself to cry a little, trying not to think of what I'd just been told, but I couldn't. I knew that if my father was home, he would know about it before I even walked into the house. He'd become so accustomed to listening to my thoughts that he knew my mind like the back of his hand. He'd been able to hear my thoughts before I was even born.

I didn't want to get out of my car, though. So I just didn't. My world certainly wasn't ending, but this wasn't the best day of my life. I dozed off a bit, and when I woke up, I checked my phone for the time and discovered five missed calls and two voicemails from none other than Jacob. It wasn't the best way to avoid him, but I felt bad for missing his calls. I genuinely liked spending time with him.

I listened to the voicemails with a tiny smile on my face. He was rather adorable, the way he'd spoken, concerned about me. I didn't really blame him for worrying – if I called someone seven times and they didn't answer, I would be worried, too. He didn't really have any reason to be, but it was still sweet.

"Hey… You haven't been answering your phone… This isn't really urgent, but call me back, okay? I, um, want to talk to you… Alright… Later."

I chuckled, shaking my head. Calling him wouldn't be a bad idea. He could probably take my mind off of things. He wouldn't take _him _off my mind, but he would take the Volturi thing off my mind for sure. I just couldn't think such negative things. I was a negative thinker naturally; I couldn't afford to spend the rest of my many, drawn-out years like that.

I was about to dial Jacob's number when someone tapped on my window. I jumped, shrieking and then slapping my hand to my chest. My father peered into the dark, tinted glass. I sighed, starting up the car and rolling down the window to talk to my dad about whatever the hell he wanted to have a heart-to-heart about.

He laughed humorlessly. "I'm not here for a heart-to-heart, Nessie. I understand that this is a lot to take it. It's nothing that we could have predicted. I wish I'd known about this sooner. What if Aro had taken you while you were away from us? I would never be able to forgive myself. I want to let you know that we're going to take immediate action. We're going to train and train hard to fight them off. _And_ we're going to do everything we can to protect you."

I didn't want to talk to him about this. I wanted to go hang out with Jacob to forget about this entirely. However, I handled this maturely and I addressed my father calmly. "Does anyone else know?"

He shook his head. "I haven't told anyone yet. They know that this is a private conversation, but they might still be listening."

"Is Mom home?" I inquired.

"No, she's out shopping with Alice and Rosalie. Don't even ask how they convinced her to go. They even convinced Esme to go."

"Can you do me a favor?" He nodded, and I continued. "Don't tell Mom. I want to be the one to tell her. You can tell whoever is home. But when Alice, Rose, Esme, and Mom get home, do _not_ mention it. I don't want her to freak out."

"Alright," he agreed. "I'll only tell Jasper and Emmett. Carlisle's not home, but if he gets home before the girls, I'll tell him, too."

"Thank you," I said, genuinely appreciating his promise.

He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "Go ahead and call that boy." He winked and patted my head before leaving the garage.

I dialed Jacob's phone number quickly and he picked up almost as quickly. I had to give him credit for being a good friend. Other girls might find it a bit strange that a boy would be that worried about them after only knowing you for a week. If it was Jacob, most of the girls at Forks High School would just faint. He was popular, and _very_ popular amongst teenage girls. He just didn't really seem to notice it.

"Oh, hey, Nessie," he said casually.

"Five calls and two voicemails and you pick up with, 'Oh, hey, Nessie'?" I accused. "Nice."

He laughed. "What's up?"

"I don't know, you tell me," I requested.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to hang out tonight," Jacob told me. "I was thinking we could go see a movie and just chill."

I laughed in my head at how ridiculously human that sounded. "Yeah, of course. Do you want me to come get you? My car is freaking awesome if you haven't already noticed."

"I think the whole _town_ noticed, much less the whole school. That's probably the nicest car anyone in Forks, Washington has ever seen."

"Well, then, they haven't seen my sister's Porsche. Or my other sister's BMW. They're so spoiled. I bought my Mustang all by myself."

"Damn," he muttered. "You're only a junior. You must have had a really great job over the summer."

I giggled. "No, I've just been saving up. I'm smart with my money, like my dad is. Even though he's practically swimming in it, he doesn't spend it spontaneously. He's probably the smartest person I've ever met."

"He must be, if he's that successful of a doctor… So, you'll pick me up?"

"Yeah. Of course. I'll be there in five minutes."

"Five minutes? It's a fifteen minute drive from my place to yours," he pointed out.

"I drive fast," I revealed. "Be ready when I get there."

"I will. See you soon!"

"Bye!" I fastened my seatbelt, started up my car, and drove out of the garage. I tried as best as I could with the darkness to memorize the way to Jacob's house, just in case I ever needed it. I wasn't ready to spend every day with him, but it would be good to know for emergencies.

When I arrived there, I barely even had time to look at his house. It was small, cute, and modest. It made sense – there were only two people living in it, there was no reason for it to be any bigger. I noticed a motorcycle in his driveway that I assumed was Jacob's because his father was in a wheelchair and paralyzed from the waist down. And no one else lived there.

He ran out, ducking into the passenger seat of my car. "You were right," he told me, "even in the dark, I can tell this is a kickass car."

I laughed, pulling out of his driveway and heading for the nearest movie theatre. "Thanks. How are you?"

Jacob smiled. "Bored. That's why I called you."

I didn't look away from the road, but my expression became one of confusion. "Don't you have guy friends for that? I mean, you know, like Quil or Paul?"

"Yeah, but I hang out with them all the time," he said. "I don't get to see you as often."

"You see me every day in English. And at lunch."

"I know." Glancing over at him, I could see he still had that smile on his face. That smile automatically made me want to smile back. I shook my head mentally because he shouldn't have that kind of effect on me.

The car ride was quick, despite the distance between La Push and the movie theatre. Conversation between us was practically effortless. When he turned on my stereo and discovered a whole CD of songs by The Beatles, and then found eight other ones, he accused me of being obsessed with them, and I didn't disagree. He thought that my fascination with them was funny. He said it was rare for a teenage girl to know that much about past musicians and he admired it. If only he knew that I wasn't seventeen, like he thought I was. That I had been two-hundred-forty-eight years old when I'd first discovered The Beatles.

We ended up seeing _Titanic_, which was a film I'd seen thousands of times. It had recently been re-released in 3-D and we both decided it was worthy of sitting in a seat for three hours. It wasn't uncomfortable at all, as I'd expected it to be. It was actually quite nice. We laughed at a few parts that weren't really intended to be funny, but there weren't that many people there. We also mocked Jack and Rose during the whole last hour of the film. It was the most fun I'd had in years.

By the time the movie was over, I was so tired I could barely walk in a straight line. This hadn't happened to me many times before, but I was almost fully functional otherwise. My half-vampirism gave me a leg up on humans when I was exhausted or intoxicated, which I appreciated greatly. Back in my car, we both began hysterically laughing for absolutely no reason at all. I blamed it on the exhaustion that we were both feeling, but it was also possibly because of our immaturity.

He was done laughing before I was, and when I finally finished my hysterics, he leaned over and kissed me. Not a kiss on the forehead or cheek, but a kiss full on the lips. It took me by surprise at first, but after a few seconds, I got into it. It felt nice to kiss someone whose lips weren't colder than mine. Whose lips were strong and sure, but still gentle. It was a nice kiss overall, but that didn't mean I was ready for anything more. I didn't know what this kiss meant to him, but to me, it was just a kiss between two friends. I'd meant it when I'd decided – unwillingly – that I liked him. But I didn't like him this much. Not yet, anyway.

I let him finish patiently. When he was done with me, he apologized immediately. It was actually a little bit cute the way he felt like he had to make up for catching me off guard. I really didn't mind the kiss at all, though. It gave me a lot to think about. I would have a lot of soul-searching to do over the weekend.

"Jake, it's okay," I said for the millionth time. "I actually kind of liked it. You're a good kisser."

"Really?" he said with a laugh.

"Yeah. Probably the best I've ever met," I answered. "But that doesn't mean that my feelings for you are above friendly. If you want that, you'll have to work for it." My words were entirely true. I wasn't super into falling for a human – it didn't work out great for my parents at first – and I didn't want to drag him into my world, but he would be nice company for a while. Who knew? I could've possibly even fallen in love with him.

"Oh… Okay."

We didn't say much the rest of the way to his house, which was short, thanks to my fast driving. He commented on my speeding once the whole time we were in the car, saying that I should slow it down in case there were police officers out, but I waved it off, saying, "Fuck that. I drive like this all the time. I've never gotten a ticket. I've never even been pulled over."

We arrived at his house, and he gave me a quick goodbye, rapidly getting out of my car. Before he was too far away, I called out the window, "Jake?" I realized that this was the second time I'd called him this so far. And in one night. I could get used to the cute little nickname.

He turned around, waiting for me to continue. When I did, he became completely dumbstruck.

"I meant what I said. That kiss was great. And I never told you to stop."

**:D Cute, huh? Sorry for the delay, my computer had a virus that took a while to get rid of. Please enjoyyyyy thisssss! (: I'll get to working on the next chapter soon! **


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey! Glad to hear you liked the last chapter! :D That really means a lot to me! I'm in a really bad mood, I wanted concert tickets really bad and I didn't get them :'( I wanted VIP tickets for my 16****th**** birthday and I got General Admission… which is better than nothing, but I wanted that damn ½ hour Meet & Greet and the great seats… Whatever :P **

**Anyway, onto Chapter 6! =D I'm just going to jump right into the chapter! ;)**

Chapter 6:

IF I HAD ANY SENSE at all, I would've called Jacob the day after our little movie date. Of course, it wasn't a formal date or anything serious, but it did end in a kiss, which was a lot more than what friends would have and should have done. Kissing might not be a big deal to other people or kids Jacob's age, but it was a big deal to me. Particularly because I didn't really care about any of the people I'd kissed before. I did, however, for a fact care about Jacob.

I let the silence between us grow until English class Monday afternoon when I sat next to him and gave him a polite, friendly, "Hi." He returned the greeting with a smile and almost never stopped staring at me for the whole forty-two minutes of the class. Mr. Russo had to call on him a few times to get his attention, but even then, I whispered the answers to him.

There was almost something… endearing about the way he looked at me. Like I was a rare, exotic flower, or something to that extent. It made me feel different, but in a good way. No, not different. _Special_. All my three-hundred years that I'd spent, I'd spent feeling different, peculiar, abnormal. But never, _ever _special. It was a new feeling, and I wanted to feel it forever. It was the best feeling I'd had since my arrival upon Forks.

One day during the next week, which was particularly sunny and warm, my lunch gang decided to eat outside. I was the only Cullen in school, claiming that they'd all gone on a hiking trip and I wasn't all that into hiking, that I was more of a city girl. Quil, Embry and Jacob all laughed at this, each of them stating that I clearly didn't belong in Forks.

"I honestly don't even know how you've lasted _this long_ in a place like this," Quil teased.

"Yeah, you're seriously a fish out of water," Embry tossed in.

If only they knew how true that statement was. I was wearing a sweatshirt over my purple tank top to avoid attracting too much attention. My skin didn't have a brilliant sparkle in the sun, but it did have a faint shiny glimmer. It wasn't obvious or obnoxious, but if someone examined it too closely, they'd get suspicious.

Even though I tried to cover up, Alex made no attempt to hide his shimmering skin. I envied him for his confidence, especially around humans. I wasn't ready to open myself up like that to any humans, but apparently, he was. He had to be, if he had a human girlfriend. A human girlfriend that he treated like royalty. I could still tell how much affection, how much admiration there was between them. How they sometimes broke off from a group conversation to talk to each other or kiss. How Lana nervously tucked her hair behind her ears whenever he called her beautiful. She didn't seem to know it, so he constantly reminded her. It was cringe-worthy to the others, but to me, precious.

I noticed a similar pattern in behavior between Cristina and Embry, but Cristina was _much _more confident that Lana was. But Embry was every bit as sweet as Alex was. Again, seeing such a healthy, adoring relationship made me crave it more than I ever had. Part of why I'd left my family and the only people in the world that I'd ever trusted was because I was constantly surrounded with functional, loving relationships, something that I was sure I'd never have. And I hadn't. The right guy hadn't quite come along yet.

Every once in a while during lunch, I noticed Jacob's eyes on me, gazing at me like he almost always did. That one day, though, out in the sun, he wasn't just staring at me—he _was_ staring at the luminescent skin on my neck, face, and chest that I hadn't bothered to cover up. I decided to confront him after school to have a serious talk with him. I was just about ready to tell him everything. He didn't seem to notice that I was dying to let him know, but I was.

I caught him after the last class of the day when he was on his way to his motorcycle. "Hey, Jake!"

He turned around, smiling before he even knew it was me. _He probably knows the sound of my voice already_, I thought to myself. "What's up, Ness?"

I thought for all of two seconds before answering him. It was a Friday, so he could stay over as long as I needed him to in order to let the news sink in. "Do you want to hang out at my place? Come over at like, five?"

Jacob nodded, still a dazzling smile on his face. "Yeah. That sounds awesome."

"Okay," I said. "I'll see you later."

"Later."

With that parting exchange done, I hurried to my car, texting Alice as I drove. I was lucky enough to have fast reflexes that allowed me to do both at the same time. I was so thankful that there was at least half of me that was vampire. When I got a text from her that said, _You can have that boy over, it's fine with your parents. There's a big surprise waiting for you at home! (: I can't wait to see your reaction! _I got worried. If this was a standard Alice surprise, I probably wouldn't like it. I wasn't much for surprises unless it's something that doesn't completely catch me off guard.

Upon arriving home, I was bombarded with Alice and Esme, urging me to follow them. And I did, I followed them out to the middle of the woods, finding a small cottage there. I was confused at first, wondering what they were showing it to me for, but then I realized that it was the surprise. The cottage. My own home. I couldn't believe it. I thought there was no way I'd live on my own again for another twenty to thirty years, not unless of course my family decided to stop holding me hostage.

I walked into my new house to find that it was all decorated perfectly, exactly the way I liked it. It looked nearly identical to my apartment in New York and it was more than I could've asked for. Hell, it I _was_. Alice and Esme had seriously outdone themselves this time. And I'd thought that what they were doing with the main house was impressive, but the fact that they pulled this off in such a short amount of time blew me away.

I turned to both of them with tears forming in my eyes, hugging each of them tightly and giggling. Giggling was an odd thing for me to be doing, but I did it anyway. I was just so happy to have what felt like a little piece of home back with me. This was what I needed to keep from going entirely insane. My apartment in New York had been the one true home I'd ever had. It was everything to me besides being a sexy, solitary vampire.

I spent less than an hour transferring my belongings from my bedroom in the main house to _my _new house. It felt so good to think that in my head. _My house_. It was barely really even a house at all, but it was still something I could call my own and it was familiar, even though it was completely new and new to me. Independence was quite a big portion of why I'd initially wanted to be on my own.

After my new home was set up and organized it the way I liked it, I waited in the garage for Jacob, which wasn't entirely agonizing. I just chilled in my car, burning more CDs—which consisted of primarily Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland—for my car on my laptop. I popped the CDs in and started singing along when Jacob tapped in the window. I jumped, and turned the music off.

"Patti LuPone?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not a bad guess, but no, you're pretty far off. Barbra Streisand, the queen of Broadway herself. She's the best actress to come around in a long time—that is, of course, if you don't count Betty White, Judy Garland, and my newest favorite, Jane Lynch. But, Barbra's voice can't be compared to anyone else's. She's even better live than in her recordings. How do you know who Patti LuPone is?"

He laughed at my elaborate explanation, and then answered my question. "My sister Rachel is a big fan of the classics, too. Patti LuPone happened to be her favorite."

"Really? That's rare," I pointed out. "I mean, it's rare for any teenager to know who Patti and Barbra are, let alone be obsessed with them." I changed the subject matter to something more serious. "But I didn't want to hang out to talk to you about classic, old Hollywood. There's something that I think you should know."

His eyes went wide. "Oh, no, you're not anorexic like everyone says you are, are you?"

"People say that I'm anorexic?" I shrieked. "And you let this go on without telling me so I can kick their asses?"

"You're not, though, right?"

"No!" I yelled.

Jacob let out a sigh of relief. "Good. That really scared me."

I considered why he would be scared about this. Was it because he would be embarrassed to be my friend? Or was it simply because he cared that much about me? I was inclined to believe the latter, even though I _really _didn't want to. Getting this close to a human wasn't only dangerous for me, but it was dangerous for him. "Well, now that you're sure I don't starve myself, I need to go talk to Edward for a minute. I'll be right back, I promise. Then, we'll go to my place."

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Aren't we at your place?"

I smiled mischievously. "Not yet." I headed inside, quickly finding my father and running my question through my head. I seriously hoped he would say yes, just so I could scare Jacob enough to the point that he'd completely leave me alone. I couldn't have his death on my conscience. I refused to be responsible for the death of someone who was completely innocent and had potential to go far in life. I was a half-vampire, but I wasn't cruel.

My father slowly nodded his head, laughing a bit as that last part entered his mind. "Go ahead, Nessie. Some good might come of it. Just know that this is all in your hands now. Whatever happens, you need to take the fall for it. I'm not always going to be here when you're in trouble. But I think you already know that."

"I know. Thank you. When I'm done doing what I have to get done, can we go hunting? I haven't hunted in a week or two…"

"Yes. I'll ask Bella, too, and we can have some time to look over things and work some things out."

"Okay. See you later. I'll be back no later than nine."

"Good luck!"

"Thank you!" I said with as much fake enthusiasm as I could muster. I wasn't thrilled about what I was about to tell Jacob. There was just so much life to him, and I didn't want to have to ruin that by telling him such a dark secret. I didn't want him to be exposed to this. It wasn't that I was afraid it would tarnish his light; it was that I was afraid he would dwell on it. I was afraid he would start to worry too much and I just didn't want him to become invested in this.

When I returned to Jacob, after grabbing my laptop, I began to lead him to my—very—new home. It wasn't until then that I realized how comfortable I was with him. We literally could say almost anything to each other and it wasn't weird. We could walk or drive in complete silence and it wasn't awkward. Being around him a lot of the time just felt so _right_. I'd denied it time and time again, but at the end of the day, it was easy for me to be around this boy. Much easier than it'd ever been for me and any other guy.

At the front door of my house, I could see Jacob was already very impressed. "What, you're surprised that a teenager is living on her own in a cottage in her family's backyard? Believe me, you won't be once I'm done telling you what I'm about to tell you…"

"Oh… okay. So, what was that thing you wanted to talk to me about?"

I gestured to the orange couch in my living room. "Maybe you should sit."

We sat down simultaneously, him on the couch and me in the zebra-print armchair across from him. I took a deep, shaky breath, preparing to tell the biggest secret I'd ever kept. There was no bigger or longer-kept secret in my family. If I really thought long and hard about it, I'd probably never told anyone about my vampirism, except for another vampire.

"Jacob…" I tucked a few loose curls behind my ear and looked right into his dark, dark eyes. "This is probably going to come as a shock to you, but… I'm not human."

I expected him to freak out, leave, yell, or anything else ridiculous. Calmness, serenity, and silence were not at all what I'd anticipated.

Why wasn't he running? Why wasn't he afraid? Maybe if I told him that I was a vampire, he'd run away in terror…

But I didn't have to.

He smiled ever so slightly, telling me, "I know."

I blinked rapidly, as if doing so would not clear up my vision, but clear up my brain. How could he already know? Had I let it slip? There was _no way_ I could have! It was impossible! I hadn't been drunk or drugged in any of the time I'd known him, so how could I have said it without remembering telling him? Even with drugs and alcohol clouding my head, I wouldn't have let something that stupid come from my mouth! Or could I…?

"How?" I asked firmly, but fiercely. "Who told you? Who else knows?"

"Relax," he said softly. "I know about Alex. That's how I knew about you and your family almost immediately. I also didn't buy the whole "adopted" thing. You look too much like Bella _and _Edward for them to not somehow be your parents. How is that, again?"

I couldn't quite find my voice for a moment, and when I did, the beginning of my explanation was completely stammered out of my mouth. "W—Well, I—I um, I'm half vampire, so Bella was human when I was born. Most half-vampire children kill their mothers unintentionally during birth, but it's only because we don't know our own strength yet. My grandfather—Carlisle is my grandfather—knew that there was a way to save my mother—turn her into a vampire immediately following my birth. It was hard to get me out before I ripped my way out, but he and Edward did it."

This seemed to stun him a little. Great, now he probably thought I was the demon that I was truly capable of being. "Oh… And how long ago was this?"

"Three-hundred years ago today." I laughed. "Yes, I'm that old. Renesmee Carlie Cullen, born September 11, 1712 to Edward Anthony Mason Cullen and Isabella Marie Swan Cullen in London, England. Still want to be friends with me?"

He beamed at me, setting me off. Why was he so damned… okay with all of this? "Yeah, of course. There's actually something I wanted to tell _you_…"

"What?"

"I'm a werewolf."

**DUN DUN DUNNNNN! ;D Sorry for the wait, I've had a stressful, crazy week:P and this weekend won't give me much free time either. Please review, reviews are love! 3 Thanks for reading! **


	8. Chapter 7

**You probably fucking hate me, people who are subscribed & really liked this :/ I'm sorry. I've also changed the name of the fic. Oops.**

**I have stalled and stalled and stalled again but here comes the SEVENTH CHAPTER!**

**Again, I'm incredibly sorry for stalling for MONTHS. I know some of you were pretty into it and I let you down D=**

**Well… Here it goes! :D**

Chapter 7: SURPRISES

_I'm a werewolf._

The words bounced around in my head for a while until I grasped their true meaning.

A _fucking _werewolf. Jacob was a freaking _werewolf_ this whole time and I didn't know it. Hell, I didn't know there was such a _thing _as a werewolf. Werewolves were like zombies, something that humans had always claimed were real and made gory movies about, but could never prove were real. I'd been alive for three-hundred _years_ and I had never once encountered a werewolf.

I shook my head, hoping that somehow, by doing it, I would look back up at Jacob and he would tell me he was joking. Only he didn't. I pressed my palm against my forehead, trying to create a logical string of words to say, and failing. Horribly.

"Nessie… I know that this is a total shock, but I…" Something changed in his voice as he studied my face. "Are you okay, Nessie? You look sick."

I tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a choking cough. I honestly felt like I _was_ choking. Choking on this bombshell, this hellish nightmare. Of course, I'd been through things much more hellish than this, but this was just sick and wrong.

Why did it have to be Jacob? Sweet, caring Jacob, to be chosen to live in this world of monsters? I couldn't fathom the reasoning behind this, why for any reason _he_ of all people was a _werewolf_. I imagined it was a tremendous burden.

What exactly did he _do _as a werewolf? I took it upon myself to stammer, "How? Why? When?"

He grinned, but it was intended to be more comforting than happy. "It's in my blood. It's part of my tribe's history. There's nothing I can do about it. The transformation is triggered when vampires are around. As for when… It happened in the middle of freshman year. Not the most exciting thing ever."

My head spun. Vampires triggered the transformation? _I _was the reason for Jacob being a werewolf? I tried to block that out, push it aside, but my brain wanted to shove it right back into the limelight. "But… _Freshman_ year?" I stuttered. "My family's only been here for a couple weeks… That part must be some kind of mistake…"

He shook his head. "You guys aren't the only vampires in town."

"Alex," I breathed. "Of course. I forgot that he and Toni have been here for a couple years."

Jacob looked at me as if he was disappointed. "They're not the only ones. Mr. Russo is a vampire, too."

"_WHAT?!_" I screamed, making Jacob jump. "Mr. Russo is a _vampire_? And I didn't notice it!" Wow. I'd _really _messed up by letting that slip by me. I knew my teacher pretty well already, but… well, I hadn't guessed that he was a _vampire_. I didn't know what it was about him that made me decide he wasn't. He was normal; he drank coffee, walked around in the sun…

"Jacob," I said. "There's no way Mr. Russo is a vampire. He's in the sun all the time."

"I wish that he wasn't Nessie, but he is," he repeated. "What happens to you guys in the sun, anyway? I mean, I know _you_ can go out in the sun…"

I nodded. "I can. My skin doesn't give off a prismatic reflection."

All I needed from him was a look to know I should dumb it down.

"It looks like thousands of little diamonds imbedded into their skin," I explained. "They don't burst into flames or melt or anything like that. It's just kind of strange to see a sparkling person walking down the street, you know? With my skin, it's more of a shimmer, iridescence. Because I'm half human."

"What's _that _like?" he wondered, and then became hesitant. "Do you… you know, drink blood?"

I smiled darkly. "Of course I do. I don't drink human blood, though."

"What?"

I got up to get myself a glass of water. "I drink animal blood, much to my own disappointment. My family frowns upon the idea of feeding off of humans," I said, irritated by my family's preferences. "In actuality, I want human blood. All vampires do, it's just that some are better at repressing it than others." I lounged in the chair, feeling more relaxed after my drink.

"But, if you wanted to, couldn't you live off human food?" He was scared, freaked out, by the idea of me drinking blood. He had every right to be, though. I didn't blame him one bit. I actually just wanted him to run out of my house and never come back. It was what I deserved, anyway.

"Yes," I answered. "I have before, but it gets boring. Hunting for bargains isn't the same as hunting for… well, humans. Even hunting for animals is better." I realized that this might scare him more than the idea of me drinking blood. "It is part of who I am, though… part of all vampires, regardless of whether we're full or half."

Jacob was getting frustrated, though I couldn't figure out what with. I hadn't said anything too bizarre, had I? I decided that he was frustrated with himself. "I guess what my real question is… Do you _like_ human blood?"

I laughed, though I was only slightly amused. "_That's_ what you're getting at? That's the silliest question I've ever heard. Yes, I like human blood. I like it more than almost anything else in the world. I like the power it gives me, the strength. The exhilaration of the hunt. It's all outstanding, something that a human—or even a werewolf—would never understand."

This puzzled him. "Oh…"

I chuckled ever so softly. I had no idea why I found this so amusing, but I did. "I knew this would freak you out. Even more so than you being a werewolf freaks me out. I guess I'm just less prone to being caught by surprise. You're certainly more human than I'll ever be, so that must play a factor in that as well."

"How could I be any more human than you? What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Jacob," I explained, "is that until you officially became a werewolf, you were a human, weren't you?" He nodded. "I've never been human a moment in my life. You can decide what you want to be when you want to be it. My choices are not that simple. I can neither be just a human nor just a vampire at any given time. I am forced to be both, yet neither."

That adorable expression of frustration returned to his face. "That's a little confusing."

I smiled, sweetly this time. "It will become clearer to you once you begin to ponder it more."

He regarded me curiously, but then launched into almost the entire history of werewolves—or, more politically correct, shape shifters. We talked for hours and hours and every single minute that went by was a minute that things between us become clearer and less awkward. The only awkward thing about our conversation was how often I thought about how much I admired him. I didn't know what had suddenly turned on these feelings of affection, but they were strong. When he explained werewolf legends to me, I was reminded of how young he truly was.

It was nearly dark outside when I started to feel very thirsty. The darkness reminded me that I would have to meet my father soon. I glanced over at the digital clock on my microwave, and the time read 7:57. Just enough time to wrap things up with Jacob.

He saw me look past him at the clock. "Got a hot date or something?"

I shook my head. "No. I just have to meet Edward in about an hour so I can hunt. I haven't hunted in a little over a week." I studied him, and he made no sound or expression at the thought of me hunting for blood. Looking at his neck, I wondered how _his _blood would taste. It was tempting for me to compare, considering that I'd had both human blood and the blood of a wolf. "Do you trust me, Jacob?"

He nodded hesitantly. "I…"

"Do you trust me?" I repeated.

Jacob's response came after a short pause. "Yes."

I leaned over, running the tip of my nose gently against the side of his neck before sinking my teeth into his flesh. I heard him gasp in shock and try to push me away, but I was stronger than him and kept him pinned down. I pulled away and licked my lips after only about thirty seconds. My eyebrows pulled down. "You don't taste as good as I'd anticipated…"

His eyes were wide with shock. "How could you—Why did you—Vampire venom kills werewolves!"

"Relax," I commanded, rolling my eyes. "I'm not venomous. Female hybrids are never venomous."

"But… Still!"

I looked back toward the bite mark, running my thumb over it. It had almost completely healed and there was almost no evidence of him ever being bitten. "Wow. You heal rapidly. That's pretty impressive."

"Why did you do that?" he asked, his voice quiet and timid.

I shrugged. "I was curious. I wasn't going to kill you or drink you dry. That would be ridiculous."

"How so?" His voice was still quiet, but it was huskier and surer.

"You're pretty much the closest thing to a best friend I've ever had, like I told you before," I explained. "I think that if I lost you now, I'd be totally screwed in English." He actually mustered a laugh. "And I can talk to you about almost anything. And now that you know my big secret, I really can be open with you." I awkwardly realized that I was still straddling him, sitting on his lap. I smiled, and waited until he smiled back before I kissed him. My mouth tasted like his blood, but I doubted he noticed much. Neither of us was willing to let our tongues travel outside of our own mouths quite yet.

I had no idea what it was about this boy that made me feel so alive, but his very touch was maddeningly fulfilling. I'd kissed plenty of men in my life, but all of them paled in comparison to this one boy. It was frustrating and satisfying at the same time. Had I found my match? Finally, after all these years? Or was I tricking myself? Why was it him? Jacob Black, the small-town boy with the big secret?

I marveled at the feelings stirring up in me. My emotions had been almost completely shut off for about thirty years. How could this one boy, this simple, sweet boy, inspire so much… emotion? He was just a good match for my pessimism, my bitterness. He balanced me out. I'd only known him for a short time, yet in that short time, my feelings had grown into something I hadn't experienced for a very long time.

I pulled away, leaving him breathless. I got up from his lap, and returned to the seat opposite him. "So, does that beat the last one?"

He nodded. "Of course it does. What exactly was that for?"

I shrugged. "I was feeling… Hmm, I don't know… Inspired."

"Inspired," Jacob repeated.

"Yes, sir." I smiled, surprised by how genuinely happy I felt. "I don't know why, but I feel like there's something… I don't know. Something that _pulls_ me to you. Like, whenever you're around, I want to be right next to you. It's weird. I mean, there was this one guy in the eighties that I was really into, but I never felt physically tethered to him."

I immediately regretted saying those words. "_Physically tethered_'? _Wow_, was I ever an _idiot_. I'd long since realized that I liked Jacob, but what with the pull? Honestly, I _did_ feel it. I felt connected to him in a way I wasn't with anyone else, which was really odd, considering how close I'd once been to my family. That bond had somewhat been severed about two-hundred and fifty years ago.

I felt so ridiculously stupid in that one moment that I almost tried to cute the conversation short.

That was, until he dropped—what I would soon discover was—yet another bombshell on me.

He looked down, obviously nervous. "That the other thing… I sort of… imprinted on you."


	9. Author's Note!

***Author's Note***

(But big news!)

Hi everyone! You probably all hate me for not updating for over a year. I lost touch with the story and so has happened in my life that's insane. You don't even know.

Anyway, I have a few chapters I'll be uploading within the next two weeks they're amazing, I love them.

Another big piece of news: I will be changing the rating from T to M. And you're all probably wondering why. Well, I'll be going into much more graphic detail farther down the road. Not jumping straight into kinky sex, but definitely some intimate sexual acts. It's not raunchy or distasteful in any way, though, I promise!

To anyone who still follows/likes this story, I thank you for putting up with my bullshit. You're amazing.

To everyone else: Eh, I don't blame you for leaving. I would, too.

Thank you all so much. Updates to come soon!


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